Secrets To a LinkedIn Connection Request That Guarantee Meetings

Introduction

It is the world's top social networking platform for professionals. That makes it your number one opportunity to build relationships, find job opportunities, promote your business, and even get sales.

And the best thing about the platform is, it is excellent for making new connections. But before you start swiping and sending request after request to every person you know on LinkedIn, it is essential to consider what will draw them in. For their newest blog post, LinkedIn has included a few pointers for making sure that your connection requests are not only seen but approved as well.

Why is LinkedIn essential?

LinkedIn is a professional social networking site that helps users connect with professionals and potential clients. It enables people to create a profile, build their networks, and search for new opportunities. It can also help you build your career.

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According to LinkedIn statistics found on Amy Porterfield's blog, the site has over 300 million registered members worldwide, making it more popular than Twitter or Facebook. The most recent statistics show that nearly one-third of Fortune 500 companies have profiles on the site and 185 countries spanning four continents. So what are some secrets to getting a connection request accepted by somebody? Let's find out!

What is a LinkedIn connection request?

A LinkedIn connection request is a message that you send to someone on the Linked In platform. When you find someone connected to your business in one way or another or you feel would be beneficial for you to communicate with, you can connect your contacts and engage in conversations.

Differentiate your request message in a way that makes you stand out from the crowd. Simple, default messages don't cut it anymore. You need something that shows your personality, hints at what you do, and makes the recipient want to click by offering something of value. 

Don't forget to create a compelling subject line. You should also view this as part of your overall profile, so keep it brief, engaging, and authentic – not asked about being in sales since that's misleading or non-content (or both).

Why is it important to write a compelling request message?

A LinkedIn connection request has the potential to make or break your career. It's a lot like sending someone an email; when someone receives one, their first impression is based on the opening message.

There are three critical points of your connection request that will either attract or drive away potential connection, 

• Who it is from, what it says and what you have in common. 
• Create a strong introduction by choosing something you have in common with the recipient.
• Also, talk about how you could help them achieve their goals.

How to create the perfect connection request template?

Some secrets include things like being creative with your profile description or updating your profile picture regularly.

When initiating a connection request, the most important thing to keep in mind is that it's not about you but about the person to whom you are sending the request. To be accepted by your prospect, you must be able to create a connection that doesn't just serve your needs but also serves theirs.

The best way to do this is through understanding their needs. You need to ensure that your prospect recognizes who you are and knows why they should connect with you before accepting or declining the request. If possible, use similar language as what they use in their own bio or profile.

How is LinkedIn used for outbound sales by sales professionals?

If you're looking for sales leads, then LinkedIn is the best place to start. This is because it will allow your business to build a personal brand for yourself and attract an audience around your area of expertise and selling point(s). The site operates on the same principle as any other social network like Facebook or Twitter. The more connections you have, the more opportunity you have to reach out to new people. 

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The main benefit of LinkedIn for sales is that it allows you to build professional relationships with potential clients by making it easier for them to find you on search engines. By optimizing your company profile page for keywords and tagging users based on similar experiences or demographics, you can significantly increase your company's visibility within the site's search results and quickly grow your number of connections.

Types of Connections on LinkedIn

So, if you have a specified target audience or an executive, you have to know the best connection strategies to connect with them. The key is to treat them like actual people.

Do not start selling or pitching right away, do not talk about how you went through their profile, and do not talk about your whole life story in the connection box. Before you send a request, you need to analyze the situation a bit. The first thing you need to know is who you are sending the request to?

The three types of connections include,

• First-Degree Connection 

People with who you are already connected.

• Second-Degree Connection 

People who are connected to your 1st-degree connections (common connections).

• Third-Degree Connection 

People who are connected to your 2nd-degree connection (1 or no mutual connections).

Now, you must have a basic idea of who your target audience is. The LinkedIn Sales Navigator lets you filter profiles by keywords, relationship, geography, and more. But that's optional.

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Tips and Strategies for a perfect request message

Generally, people respond well to connection request message that are,

• Personalized connection request – Include a personalized message in the LinkedIn connection request when you send it to potential prospects that may grab the attention of buyers.
• Appropriateness – Do not jump into a sales pitch right away. Your first point of contact should be about providing value to the potential buyer.
• Applicability – Talk about What's in it for me (them)? (WIIFM?)

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What is best for sales outreach?

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LinkedIn Premium

LinkedIn Premium is best for people looking to get hired and get ahead in their careers.  It is the first step up to LinkedIn membership levels. 

People typically use LinkedIn Premium for their own professional outreach and career goals.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

It is best for sales professionals looking to generate potential leads and build a pipeline. Sales Navigator is the perfect LinkedIn account type built for sales pros. If you are in the sales team, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is worth the cost. 

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Best Practices to write a perfect request message

To directly message LinkedIn users that you are not now connected with, you will have to be a LinkedIn Premium member or purchase InMail credits. LinkedIn users can include a message with a LinkedIn connection request for free. But these messages are limited to 300 characters, and the recipient can quickly decline your connection request without reading it.

If you want to use LinkedIn messaging in your sales outreach, we highly recommend upgrading to LinkedIn Premium to take advantage of the messaging capabilities available on the platform. If you want to utilize the website to prospect for outbound leads, the LinkedIn Premium account is essential.

Related - 14 Best LinkedIn Connection Request Templates For Guaranteed Acceptance

Below is a list of cold LinkedIn outreach strategies that will guarantee sales, at the end of this list, I’ll show you how you can automate the whole process with AI and get shocking acceptance rates

1. Find common ground between you and the connection.

The main advantage of LinkedIn as an outreach channel is the number of relevant information you can find about a person. You can learn about them from their profile photo, educational background, role, work history, and interests. When you find a potential prospect on LinkedIn and connect with them, the first thing you must do is look through their profile to find some common ground between yourself and the person you are messaging.

If the person is active on LinkedIn, know what they are sharing and interested in. Also, please make a note of their current position, their work history, their past professional experiences, and the LinkedIn groups they belong to and try to find some commonalities between yourself and the lead. 

Are you from the same city, or Did you attend the same university? Do you know anything specific about their industry? What is interesting about their profile? If there is any common interest between yourself and the potential lead, craft your first message with that, so your first touch looks personalized, targeted, and relevant. 

Do not copy and paste the same request to every single lead. Instead, use what you learned from one's LinkedIn profile to personally tailor your message to each individual, so they know you paid attention to their LinkedIn profile.

2. Look for a mutual connection that may introduce you.

Find if you have any connections in common with your potential buyer. It is usually easier to strike up a conversation with a random stranger if someone else can vouch for you. 

If you've mutual friends or a former coworker in common, try asking one of your shared connections to introduce you. Your mutual connection could initiate a group message and share how they know each of you. Later on, you can message the lead individually as they might know who you are.

The more traditional approach is to mention your mutual connection in your first message to the lead. 

Example,

Hi [first name],

I hope you're doing good. I noticed that you and I are both connected to [your mutual connection], and I thought I would reach out to communicate with you as well. Where do you know [your mutual connection] from, anyway? Thank you!

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3. Keep it short

LinkedIn messaging is perfect for instant messaging, not emailing. Do not send paragraphs of text in LinkedIn, whereas a few concise sentences in a connect request will improve the success rate.

Like cold emails or voicemails, the length of your request message has a strong impact on whether or not the lead will reply. Your primary goal in your first cold LinkedIn message is to get the recipient to respond. Make sure to keep your message short and to the point, so your recipient reads it well.

It can be challenging to keep your LinkedIn prospecting messages brief while still conveying the information. Do not be blunt or abrasive. Instead, focus on their LinkedIn profile, what you have in common, or what experiences interest you.

4. Save the selling for later.

In cold outreach, never start your sales pitch in the first message. If you do so, it might convey that you are not successfully drawing in potential customers, and your product is not worthwhile.

So in an introductory message to potential buyers on LinkedIn, remember that your goal isn't to sell your product or service but to make a successful connection and start a conversation.

5. Provide them a reason to reply to your message.

When you receive a message from a stranger, you probably would not be interested in responding unless they provide you a good reason, right? Always focus on building a solid relationship with the potential buyer instead of selling in the first message. You don't have to include some asking to keep the conversation active.

You can include a question at the end of your message that might give the prospect a reason to reply. The question can be about the lead's interests, experiences, mutual connection, occupation, or role. Ask them something specific to their industry. People love being helpful, so when you ask a prospect for their insight or expertise on a particular topic, they might be more inclined to respond.

6. Keep track and follow up.

When you reach out to hot leads on LinkedIn, it is crucial to keep track of the leads you reach out to and also follow up if they do not respond right away.

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How SmartWriter helps in sales outreach?

SmartWriter - The perfect tool for personalized cold outreach at scale

SmartWriter is a powerful tool to create personalized connection request messages that will build business relationships with every decision maker in the world. The tools entire engine is trained on billions of parameters purely for effective and personalised cold outreach

To do so, follow the steps below,

Step 1 - Sign in to your SmartWriter account or Sign up to create one.

Step 2 - Create a project using the create project available on the tool.

Step 3 - Select Compose Copy and choose the category as Personalised LinkedIn Outreach.

Step 4 - Enter the profile details of the person with who you want to connect. Find the LI_AT token from the LinkedIn website and upload their respective CSV file or the Linked URL. 

You can know more about the LI_AT token and its use here.

Step 5 - Click on Generate Custom Message to get the desired outputs.

Step 6 - Use the output generated to send a LinkedIn connection request that's shown acceptance rates above 80%.

Step 7 - You can also edit the details and generate a new set of templates by clicking on the Edit Prompt & Try Again or just regenerate the compliment for the same.

Conclusion

LinkedIn is an awesome network for building connections with professionals and business people to explore business opportunities worldwide. 

Before you start your sales pitch, you need a winning connection request message instead of a default connection request to ensure you get a reply. If you follow the above tips and strategies, you can increase the request acceptance rate, which will improve sales and profits.